These are just some of the municipal meetings and civic events for the coming week. More are on the City of Somerville website.
School cellphone policy
School Committee Rules Management Subcommittee, 5:30 p.m. Monday. This group led by Leiran Biton and Emma Stellman look at school cellphone policy. At City Hall, 93 Highland Ave., Winter Hill, Somerville and watchable online and by Zoom videoconferencing.
Safe Streets annual report
City Council Traffic and Parking Committee, 6 p.m. Monday. This committee run by city councilor Naima Sait hears the Safe Streets Ordinance Annual Report. Watchable by Zoom videoconferencing.
Elmway and a plan for Davis
Davis Square Neighborhood Council, 6 p.m. Monday. The group hears from Somerville police deputy chief James Donovan about plans for the square as good weather returns, which in the past has brought unhoused people, public drug use and other behaviors many want to handle better. The agenda also shows presentations from Elmway Action Group (about remaking Elm Street with trees, tables and a focus on pedestrians instead of car traffic) and about the Davis Square Neighborhood Plan. Dan Bartman, director of Planning, Preservation, & Zoning Division for the city, is expected to give an update on progress around planning for the square – which could affect a proposal for an apartment tower by the company Copper Mill. The company is expected to give a 10-minute update, including an explanation about the lack of activation of its project office and display of alternative designs for its project. At Somerville Theatre’s Crystal Ballroom, 55 Davis Square and watchable by Zoom videoconferencing.
School climate safety plans
School Committee, 7 to 9:30 p.m. Monday. Members hear improvement plans for the Capuano and Brown schools and about school climate safety, and they consider adopting a resolution for inclusive campus designs. At City Hall, 93 Highland Ave., Winter Hill, Somerville and watchable online and by Zoom videoconferencing.
Remaking 90 Washington St.
90 Washington Street Civic Advisory Committee, 5:30 p.m. Tuesday. Interviews with developers Wood Partners and North Point Leerink, which have proposals for the city’s nearly 4-acre site at 90 Washington St. The city seized the land in 2019 for a new public safety building. Since a subsequent multimillion-dollar legal ruling went against the city, Somerville has changed tack and plans for the site to make the money back with a sale by mid- to late 2027. Watchable by Zoom videoconferencing.
Surveillance technology report
City Council Legislative Matters Committee, 6 p.m. Tuesday. This committee run by city councilor J.T. Scott takes up the 2025 Surveillance Technology Annual Report and related issues of the CrimeTracer program – which shared data with the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency until 2023 – and body-worn cameras for police. The ongoing expenses of the cameras has Scott questioning that this is the time for adoption; we wrote about it here. At City Hall, 93 Highland Ave., Winter Hill, Somerville and watchable online and by Zoom videoconferencing.
Postsnow cleaning and 311 system
City Council Sustainability and Infrastructure Committee, 6 p.m. Wednesday. This committee run by city councilor Jesse Clingan examines snow removal and dumpster placement issues and how they affect people with disabilities, as well as street sweeping and clearing of debris from the Community Path. Also on the agenda is a look at the 311 system, which lets residents report concerns to city staff, and how to improve it; and how the city gets rid of surplus items – and whether they can be freecycled to employees and the public. Watchable by Zoom videoconferencing.
Educational budget examination
School Committee Finance and Facilities Subcommittee, 6 p.m. Wednesday. This group led by Andre Green and Leiran Biton consider education and school district budget issues.Watchable by Zoom videoconferencing.
Warming Center listening discussion
Community meeting, 6 to 7 p.m. Thursday. Somerville Emergency Management and Health and Human Services staff host a listening session about the past winter’s Warming Center operation for the homeless at the Cummings School. The community is promised uplifting stories and asked to share thoughts with city staff. At Somerville High School, 81 Highland Ave., Central Hill.
Teen center at Cummings School
City Council School Building Facilities and Maintenance Committee, 7 p.m. Thursday. This committee run by city councilor Jon Link looks at the feasibility of establishing a teen center at the Cummings School and hears about Edgerly School upgrades, Kennedy School radiator issues and air quality issues and a school buildings maintenance project website, as well as updates about the Massachusetts School Building Authority, which is putting money into a new school on Winter Hill, and a strategic asset management plan.
Block party on Mossland
Sustainaville Week event, 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday. City staff host a block party on Mossland Street, Spring Hill, to share updates on the Elm-Beacon Connector project – including a demonstration of a neighborway plan that decreases and slows car traffic by installing speed humps and two-way bike traffic lanes, narrowing entrances and planting trees plan. The event is also a kickoff to SustainaVille week, a citywide effort to help minimize climate change and its effects. Somerville departments and commissions and local organizations bring education, fun and food.
Meeting on enlarging Target
Community meeting, 6 to 7 p.m. May 4. Executives at Target address plans for the store at 180 Somerville Ave., Ward 2, sharing details of a proposed expansion into an adjacent vacant commercial space. Minor site and façade improvements will be made. At Somernova, 21 Properzi Way, in Ward 2, Somerville, between Porter and Union squares.
School crossing guard shortages
City Council Confirmation of Appointments and Personnel Matters Committee, 6:30 p.m. May 4. This committee run by city councilor Will Mbah considers a review of hiring processes and requirements for school crossing guards – who have been in short supply for years – to ensure qualified candidates aren’t being unnecessarily burdened and deterred from the work. Watchable online and by Zoom videoconferencing.
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